Snap Fitness Health & Fitness Blog

By: Chad Ruf, Director of Personal Training

Question: You’ve talked about heart rate training in the past for losing weight. What if I’ve reached my goal weight? Does it make any sense to try pushing myself into higher zones?

Answer: This really depends on if you have truly reached your goal or not. I would not push myself into higher zones unless you have hit a plateau and need the extra push. Once you have hit your goal you may be able to scale back your workouts a bit to hit a happy medium. For example, you could take your cardio workout from 30 minutes to 20 minutes. A good friend of mine once told me “20 minutes to maintain and 30 minutes to lose.” This isn’t an exact number but gives you an idea of what to do to make a small adjustment.

Another thing to consider if you have been losing weight and are at your goal now is what you did to get there. Make some minor adjustments to find what you need to do to maintain your current fitness level. If you go back to your old habits and how you have always done things, you are likely to go back to how you looked as well. Focus on maintaining the good habits you have created so you don’t become a “yo-yo dieter” who loses 30 pounds and gains 30 pounds year after year. Make it easier on yourself and commit to a better way of life!